26 September 2016

How is everyone doing? Rebecca is so adorable! The BYU game sounds fun, but dissapointing that they lost. Who was QB? Has Taysom Hill´s leg healed? Are you all excited for conference? I know I am! No I was not able to watch the women´s session. Also a disclaimer, I was not actually drinking chimarrão/matte in that picture. we are not allowed to. But it was cool this week on the day of the Gaúchos to see tons and tons of gauchos on horses marching in the streets and people sitting on the sidewalks to watch, including some of our investigators that we had appointments with.... We were not able to watch but we passed by. The city had a strong smell of horses that day. 

We had a good tiring week and we found a lot of good new investigators this week. We just have to keep working and moving forward. This is the last week of this transfer and time is passing by very fast. I hope to stay here in São Gabriel with Sister Saavedra. 

A thought for this week is 1 Nephi 19:24. Being able to hear the words fo the prophet is a special opportunity because they are really the words that God need us to hear. The holy ghost will testify to us in our hearts the truthfulness of the things spoken in conference. We just need to be prepared and listen humbly to find things we need to apply to our lives. Have a good week everyone! I love you all

19 September 2016

OI tudo bem!

How is everyone doing?? I am so happy to hear about Rebecca Marie, and I love her beautiful name. Loved seeing the pictures and I hope Amy and Rebecca are healthy and doing well. It was also fun to hear about and see pictures of the Sisters Reunion that mom had.

Happy Gaúcho week! Tomorrow is the Gaúcho holiday where there will be parades and stuff and everyone dressed in Gaúcho clothing. I also have a pair of bombachas (gaúcho pants) and a cuya (cup they use to drink chimmarrão) and photos are included! Last P-day we also learned how to make Coxinhas with a lady in the branch and thet is why there is a photo that may look like i started working at the Lancaster County Dutch Market. 

This week we went to Santa Maria again for divisions which was good. Santa Maria is a lot different than São Gabriel. We ae working hard in our area and are continuing to amke progress with Angelita and a guy named Marcelo. We are especially working to help our investigators really understand and apply for themselves the pirnciples of the gospel and applying prayer and reading the book fo mormon in their lives. Angelita is great, she just needs to get married!

A thought for the week is D&C 112:11. The whole section is very good for missionary work, but this verse talks about loving others the same as yourself. Sometimes we love others, but still think first of ourself and are not willing to sacrifice what we want, to help them, but to really have Christlike lvoe we have to view others as if they were us and give and do the best for them. 

Amo vocês! Look forward to seeing more pictures of Rebecca :)

12 September 2016

Bom dia!!

how are you all doing?? I am glad to hear about all the fun things happening at home. I am excited to hear next week if I have a new niece! I hope everything goes well, Amy and Nathan and I am praying for you all. 

This week was eventful, the branch ahd a master chef activity that went great. It was like a cooking competition and us missionaries, experts in food tasting, were the judges. Angelita came and we are still workign with her on getting married. But she is progressing and making freinds in the church which is great. We also foudn a lday named Tersinha that has childrent hat were baptized and she is very interested. She said that when she passed the church one day during the week she had a strong desire just to enter. We are working hard to find these people that are being prepared.

Wow I am glad you all are so excited to hear about the surprise! Here it is: This weekend we all traveled to Santa Maria for a conference with the entire mission together with Elder Neil L. Anderson. It was such an amazing opportunity to meet and be instructed by a servant of the Lord. I can honestly say that it was one of the most powerful and spiritual experiences I have ever had. He focused on repentance and the Atonement of Christ and what it really means to be converted. That we have to feel a bit of the wieght of our sins to the point where we want to call upon God and change. I will never forget the testimony and witness that he bore of Jesus Christ, that He lives and the day will come when we will all kneel at His feet. I will never forget the powerful spirit that filled the room at the end when 250 missionaries sang the hymn ``I know that My Redeemer Lives´´ with all our hearts. By the end of the hymn eveyone was crying and hardly able to sing and all you could hear in the closing prayer were people sniffling. 

I want to bear my testimony to you all that I know that Jesus Christ lives. I know that He is the son of God, our savior, and our king. I know that He payed the price for our sins, that he gave up His life on the cross, and that He was resurrected 3 days later. I know that He will come again in his glory and we will all kneel before His feet. I know that We have a living prophet and 12 apostles today that are special witnesses of Him and that they hold the essencial keys of the Priesthood. I know that this is the one and only true church of Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

5 September 2016

How are you all doing? I hope you all are ahving a good week.

I also had a great week last week. The work is going well, we are talking to tons of people every day, and are continuing to find great new investigators and help our other investigators pray and recieve answers from God. Angelita is progressing and we are working on the process of her legal marriage. Her husband does not ahve interest in the church,b ut he agreed to get married which was a miracle. 

This week I learnd more about the power of prayer and recieving answers to our prayers throught the power of the holy ghost. I have been working on improving my prayers to be more faithful and sincere and also finding times to pray out loud. I have noticed a huge difference in my relationship with God, faith, and testimony. I know at least many times I pray without expecting to recieve an answer or without spending some time after to await a response, but I know that God is always listenign and willing to respond back to us by way of the holy ghost. I know prayer is simple, but it is also powerful adn our means of communication with our Father in heaven.

I sure hope my english is making sense, it is getting a little bit harder lately!

Love you all, have a great week. Also next week in ym email i will have a surprise to share with you.

29 August 2016

oi familia i hope you all are doing great! Happy birthday to ben this week!

im glad the temple open house was good and i can´t believe benjamin franklin is still alive! the pictures looked great. Things are well here, we moved into our new apartment which took an entire day of cleaning and moving furniture. The new apartment is a lot better, it is on the highest floor of the building and has a great view of the city, and for some reason i feel like i am at the ebach in a beach hosue in the apartment, so i am loving that. 

I also have a new companion and I love her she is so great! I don´t know why I am so luck to always be blessed with the best companions. She is from peru and she is so sweet and a great missionary. She has been on her mission for a year. We have a lot in common and get along great. 

Angelita is continuing to progress, and she needs to get married and are going to work witht her this week to get that ready. Also, i don´t remmebr if i metioned Inês and Matteus, but they are a couple (married!!) with the cutest little baby and they are really interested. The work is going well and this week I was able to learn more about internal motivation. By this I mean focusing on always doing what is right, feeling, and following the spirit, and loving other people, no matter what the result is, you will have joy.

Have a  great week, love you all :)